THE MYSTERY PLANE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19700, 4 August 1938, Page 3

THE MYSTERY PLANE

DANNY’S PREDICAMENT . RICHARD COES FOR, HELP Chapter 4 Swinging himself out 01. the plane, closely followed by Richard, Danny glanced around and discovered that the plane had been housed in a kind of large, lofty garage. The waits were of grey_ stone, patched in places with red brick; the double doors, made of roughly-hewn wood, looked new; and good, solid old oak timbers supported the thatched roof. There was no sign of a window, and the only light came from a carefully-shaded oil lamp on a bracket by the door. The place evidently had been used as a garage and a repair station.

“I don’t see how we are to get out of this.” said Richard, glancing around hopelessly. “Nevertheless, we must have a shot. Once that car they are waiting tor turns up, we shan’t stand an earthly. I don’t care about being handed over lo the tender care of Wilson, whoever he is!” “But there is no window,’’ said Richard. “While there’s air there s hopelook, RicTi! The roof is only thatch, and there is a space between at and the top of the wall.” “But how in the world are we to climb up to that height?” “It will be easy enough if you crawl over the wings, and I’ll give you a hand through the opening. Once outside, you are sure to find plenty of cracks in the old wall that will give you -a foothold to descend. See there are no men about, then scoot oil’ your hardest till you reach some place where you can ’phone up the police. Look slippy now! vve may be able to catch the chaps red-handed.” “But you?” Richard protested. “What are you going to do? I’m not going off to leave you here alone.” “Never mind about me; the saving of fliis plane and ourselves depends on your speed. Up you go.” Danny pushed on the reluctant Richard by the shoulders. “Those brutes shan’t carry oft’ the plane again in a hurry, if I can help it!” he added. Signals for Help Danny helped Richard to slither through the gap between the top of the wall and the roof, and aftc>- receiving his whispered “0.K." of safe descent, he began to consider how he was to prevent the machine being moved until rescue arrived. But there was no means of barring the door, and the only way that suggested itself to Danny was to wedge, something in the lock. “I know; I’ll try a bit of signalling first.” he muttered. “I may be discovered, but I shall have to .risk that.

Somebody may see my signals for help.”

Diving .into the cockpit of the plane, Danny emerged with a powerful electric torch. After a few unsuccessful attempts, and finally with the aid of an old box, he succeeded in climbing to the opening where Richard had made his exit. Lying along the top of the wall, owing to the proximity of the roof, and holding back a piece of the ragged thatch with one hand, Danny flashed the torch quickly round the surrounding landscape. The rays fell on a field, a wide tarred road bordered with hedges, a patcli of waste land, cliffs, and the sea. No house or building of any sort was to be seen. Wherever the pilot or his confederate had gone must be on the other side of this garage. Directing the rays of the torch seawards, Danny flicked out in Morse iris message: “S O S—S' O S—S O S.” Then after a few moments’ pause, he repeated his signals again, this time with the identification number of the aeroplane interspersed. Danny shut off the torch after a while. Had his message been picked up? Only the blackness of the night answered him. Bitterly disappointed, he turned back into the barn, and swinging from the aeroplane, dropped to the floor. A few tools and odd pieces of wood and metal were scattered about. Picking up a screw-driver, Danny turned his attention to the lock of the doors, forcing a small piece of wood into it till no key could possibly turn there. "Futile— absolutely futile!” he muttered to himself. “They’ll soon smash that lock with a bullet!” Was there nothing else he could do to delay the smugglers till Richard got a message through? It maddened him to thing of Robert’s precious plane, the result of so much work and hope, in the hands of foreignei’s. The large double doors of the garage opened outwards; could lie do anything from the other side to delay matters? Putting some odd pieces of wood and the torch into his pockets, Danny climbed up again to the top of the wall, slipped through the opening, and let himself down by the cracks and protruding stones of the outer wall.

is shown 'by a further comment of the Auditor-General. The Audit Office had anticipated that the passing of the Local Authorities (Members’ Contracts) Act 1934 would remove many of the anomalies which had existed in regard to the disqualification of local authority members. Although the position was improved, many difficulties were still being experienced by local authority members who, gener rally, do not possess an expert knowledge of the law in interpreting some of its provisions. “And indeed,” adds the report, “a great number of disqualifications which have come under the notice of the Audit Office appear to be attributable to this cause.” It is considered by the Audit Office that the legislation which, it is understood, has already been under consideration, setting out more fully and clearly the position regarding the disqualification of local authority members, is most desirable. “Five cases were dealt with during the year involving misappropriation of moneys or other property of local bodies by local body officials, or casn shortages in offices. Police action was taken *in each case. The aggregate sum of all these loses was £503, including the misappropriation by one official of £215 and of £206 by another.

“I am pleased to be able to report a satisfactory position regarding the audit of the accounts of local authorities,” adds the report. “In almost all districts the position of the -work has been maintained, and in some cases improved, since the date of my last report.”